Mobile communications networks enable users to communicate while traveling. A typical mobile network includes one or more user cellular telephones, referred to as Mobile Stations (MS), communicating with a radio transceiver, or Base Transceiver Station (BTSC), that is connected to the core network via a Base Station Controller (BSC). The BTSC is usually connected to the BSC via a dedicated communication line, such as a T1 TDM telephone line or microwave link. The BSC in turn is connected to the cellular carrier network.
Unfortunately, the over-the-air bandwidth is limited and may eventually reach saturation. For example, when a large number of users are in the same vicinity their combined traffic may saturate the over-the-air bandwidth, since they all share a limited portion of the radio spectrum for transmission to the BTSC. One current methodology for alleviating the problem is to increase the efficacy of the radio base stations, such as by increasing the number of BTSCs or enhancing their capacities. However, radio spectrum remains an extremely valuable resource, and installation and setup of BTSCs are quite expensive.
Attempts to solve this problem by using radio frequencies not designated for use by cellular telephone networks, such as those employed by the Bluetooth™ or 802.11 standards, require that cellular telephone handsets be adapted to support using these frequencies. A system that utilizes existing cellular telephone handset technologies while increasing communications coverage for cellular network customers would therefore be advantageous.